Dental shield

ABSTRACT

A dental shield designed for attachment to a selected molar or bicuspid of either the upper or lower jaw structure of the oral cavity of a human being and adapted, when operatively applied to such molar or bicuspid, to assume a position wherein it is disposed entirely within the oral cavity and affords a safeguard against damage to adjacent tissue by the dentist&#39;&#39;s drill or other tool. The shield embodies a pair of complementary wing-like shield portions which are connected together by a bight portion of such resilience and character that is capable of outward flexing in order to allow the shield portions to be spread apart so that they may be caused to straddle the selected tooth. Upon release of flexion in the bight portion, the shield portions move inwards, grasp the tooth therebetween, and hold the dental shield as a whole in its operative position.

United States Patent 1 Rappaport Dec. 31, 1974 1 DENTAL SHIELD [76]Inventor: Bernard B. Rappaport, 179 E. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, Ill.6061 1 [22] Filed: July 26, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 382,822

Primary ExaminerRobert Peshock Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Norman H.Gerlach [5 7 ABSTRACT A dental shield designed for attachment to aselected molar or bicuspid of either the upper or lower jaw structure ofthe oral cavity of a human being and adapted, when operatively appliedto such molar or bicuspid, to assume a position wherein it is disposedentirely within the oral cavity and affords a safeguard against damageto adjacent tissue by the dentists drill or other tool. The shieldembodies a pair of complementary wing-like shield portions which areconnected together by a bight portion of such resilience and characterthat is capable of outward flexing in order to allow the shield portionsto be spread apart so that they may be caused to straddle the selectedtooth. Upon release of flexion in the bight portion, the shield portionsmove inwards, grasp the tooth therebetween, and hold the dental shieldas a whole in its operative position.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures DENTAL SHIELD The present invention relatesto an implement or device for use in dentistry and has particularreference to novel dental shield which, when operatively installed inthe oral cavity of a human being, affords protection to such tissue assurrounds or is in the vicinity of the particular tooth which isundergoing treatment by the dentist. Still more specifically, theinvention is concerned with a dental shield of the general type which iscapable of being removably attached to a molar or bicuspid within theoral cavity of a human being and, when in operative position on suchtooth, functions in the manner of a shield to protect adjacent tissuesuch as the tongue, check, or roof of the mouth from contact with theparticular dental drill or other tool which is being used by thedentist, and also functions in the manner of a dual receptacle tocollect abrasive particles or tooth fragments which may be removed fromthe tooth undergoing treatment, thus minimizing discomfort to thepatient in whose mouth the shield is being used.

Dental shields of the general type with which the present invention isconcerned are not novel, there being a wide variety of such shieldsavailable to the dental profession. One such dental shield, which istypical of several others, is capable of attachment to a molar orbicuspid and, when installed thereon, affords protection to the insidesurface of the adjacent cheek against contact with a rotating abrasivedisk, brush, or the like which may be employed during a tooth cleaningor other operation. Such a dental shield, however, will accommodate onlymolars or bicuspids which are disposed on one side of the lower jawstructure or on the opposite side of the upper jaw structure. Toaccommodate a full complement of molars and bicuspids, it is necessarythat this particular type of dental device be manufactured and sold inpairs, the shield part of one device being a complement of the shieldpart of the other device.

The present invention is designed as an improvement over theaforementioned and other dental shields which are currently in use and,toward this end, it contemplates the provision of a dental shield whichis universal in its application in that it is capable of operativeinstallation on any 'molar or bicuspid, regardless of whether such toothis on the patients upper or lower jaw, and whether it is on the right orleft side of the oral cavity. The invention further contemplates theprovision of such a dental shield which, in addition to affordingshielding protection for the adjacent inside surface of the cheek,affords protection to the adjacent gum tissue, as well as to the torqueor the roof of the patients mouth depending upon whether the shield isapplied to the lower or upper jaw. When performing a toothcleaningoperation, utilizing a rotary abrasive disk, brush, or the like, contactof the tool with the tongue is not nearly so prevalent as it is with thecheek, especially where a skilled technician is concerned. However, whenusing a rotary drill there is always the danger that the drill may shiftor slip from the tooth and bottom against the tongue or, in the case ofan upper tooth, against the roof of the mouth. The present dentalshield, in addition to its shielding function as far as the cheek isconcerned, presents a second shield portion or guard which overlies thetongue in the vicinity of the tooth in the case of the lower jaw, or ispositioned adjacent to the roof of the mouth in the case of the toothundergoing treatment is on the patients upper jaw. In

either case, the two shield portions or guards function as a stopagainst which the operative end of the dentists drill or other tool maybottom in the event that it slips from the particular tooth undergoingdrilling or other treatment.

The dental shield of the present invention presents a still furtheradvantage over present day dental shields of the character underconsideration in that, in addition to its shielding function withrespect to the cheek, tongue and roof of the mouth, and its blockagefunction which absorbs the impact of a misguided drill or other dentaltool, further possesses a residue-collection function in that, when usedin connection with a lower jaw, it establishes a limited capacityreceptacle within which abrasive particles and small tooth fragments maycollect during tooth-cleaning or drilling operations. By reason of thefact that the dental shield is capable of being easily applied to andremoved from any given tooth, when such receptacle has collected acertain amount of residue, the dental shield may be bodily removed fromthe oral cavity, rinsed or otherwise emptied, and the shield restored tothe cavity for further dental operations on the same tooth or adifferent tooth. I

The provision of a dental shield such as has briefly been outlined aboveconstitutes the principal object of the present invention. Other objectsand advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, willreadily suggest themselves as the nature of the invention is betterunderstood from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter described and are more particularly defined by the claims atthe conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings forming a part of thisspecification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown.

In these drawings;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a patients open-mouthjaw structure, showing the improved dental shield operatively installedin the oral cavity of which the jaw structure forms a part;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side perspective view of the lower jaw structureillustrated in FIG. 1, showing the dental shield operatively applied toa molar;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the dental shield;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 4, theview looking in the direction of the arrows associated with line 55; and

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the dental shield illustratingschematically its manner of application to and removal from a selectedtooth.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIGS. 1 and2 wherein a human jaw structure 8 is disclosed, a dental shieldembodying the present invention is designated in its entirety by thereference numeral 10 and it is shown as being operatively applied to aparticular molar 12 within the oral cavity 14.

The dental shield is preferably formed of a suitable metal such as asteel alloy, chromium-plated brass, or the like by a casting process,although if desired, it may be in the form of a stainless steel or otherstamping. Under certain circumstances, it may be found expedient toconstruct the shield of a plastic material having an appreciable degreeof resiliency. Irrespective, however, of the particular material fromwhich the shield is formed, or of the manner in which it is constructed,the essential features of the invention remain substantially the same.

The general function of the dental shield 10 is to isolate a particulartooth (molar or bicuspid) which is undergoing treatment, for example,drilling, cleaning, polishing or the like, from the surrounding oradjacent oral tissue so that such tissue will not become damaged by thedentists tool either during normal use thereof or in the event of amisapplication of the tool to the tooth. The manner in which such shield10 thus protects the oral tissue will become more readily apparent whenthe nature of the shield and its mode of application to a particularmolar or bicuspid is better understood.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the dental shield involves in itsgeneral organization a unitary onepiece structure which for descriptivepurposes herein may be considered to be a metal casting. It embodies twocomplementary, identical, forwardly disposed, wing-like portions and 22,and a connecting rearwardly disposed bight portion 24. The two wing-likeportions, except for their complementary mirror-image reversal ofoutline, are substantially identical and, therefore, to avoid needlessrepetition of description, a discussion of one of them will suffice forthe other, identical reference numerals being applied to thecorresponding parts of such two wing-like portions.

The wing-like portion 20 is of shallow dished design and it is providedwith a generally horizontal bottom wall or region which merges with aslightly lower trough region 26, the latter merging with an upwardly andoutwardly inclined side wall portion 28. In plan, as viewed in FIG. 4 ofthe drawings, the peripheral outline of the wing-like portion 20 is ofirregular configuration and defines a generally involute spiral havingan apex or crest (see FIG. 5) which merges on a long radius of curvaturewith the bight portion 24, and which also merges on a shorter radius ofcurvature with a peripheral offset ear portion 32. Disposed between theear portion 32 and the bight portion 24 is an inwardly extendingtooth-clasping ear 34 which constitutes an inward extension of thebottom wall or region 25 and is provided with an inwardly disposedbevelled edge 36 and at the base of which there is formed a smallerdiameter hole 37, the function of which will be made clear presently.The ear portion merges gradually on an arcuate bias with the involutecurve which defines the crest portion 30, and it also merges on anarcuate bias with the tooth-clamping car 34. Thus, it will be observedthat the outline of the wing-like portion 20 of the dental shield 10 isdevoid of any sharp corners or other abrupt direction changes which, ifpresent, otherwise would cause discomfort to the patient or possibledamage to tissue.

The bight portion 24 is generally circular in cross section and itsdiameter spreads out, so to speak, at its opposite ends where it isjoined to the two dished winglike portions 20 and 22 so that there areno abrupt protuberances which might afford discomfort to the patient.The bight portion 24 is inclined rearwardly and upwardly and isgenerally arcuate or curved. Its crest or apex region 38 (see FIG. 3) isnot at a level which is appreciably above that of the crest portions 30of the two wing-like portions 20 and 22.

The dental shield 10 is capable of being applied to any molar or anybicuspid in the oral cavity 14 regardless of whether the same be anupper or a lower jaw tooth. Application of the shield to a particulartooth is effected by utilizing conventional forceps in the form of aTru-arc retaining ring applicator such as is fragmentarily illustratedin FIG. 6 and designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 40.Various other tools of the general type which is illustrated herein areavailable in dental supply establishments and no claim is made herein toany novelty associated with the same. One such tool is manufactured andsold by Waldes- Kohinoor Company of Long Island, New York under thetrade name Tru-arc. The illustrated tool is of forcep design andincludes a pair of scissor-like arms 42 having down-turned distal endportions or tangs 44 which are designed for reception in theaforementioned holes 37 at the bases of the tooth-clasping ears 34 ofthe wing-like portions 20 and 22 so that, when the tool is operated tospread the arms 42 apart, the bight portion 38 of the dental shield 10is flexed so as to move the bevelled edges 36 of the ears 34 apart andafford a clearance whereby such ears may be caused to straddle theparticular tooth on which the shield is being applied, after whichrelease of tension in the bight portion 24 allow the bevelled edges 36to move together and grasp the tooth therebetween as shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3 of the drawiwngs. It will be understood, of course, that theshield 10 is applied to the tooth in such a manner that the bevellededges 36 engage opposite sides of the tooth immediately above the gumline as clearly shown in FIG. 3 and also that when the shield is in itsoperative installed position on a tooth of the lower jaw, one or theother of the wing-like portions 20 and 22, as the case may be, willoverlie the tongue, depending on whether the shield is applied at theright or left side of the jaw structure, while the other wing-likeportion will lie flush against the inside surface of the cheek and forcethe latter laterally outwardly and away from the tooth undergoingtreatment.

Still considering a lower jaw application as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to3, inclusive, ifa drilling operation is being conducted on the selectedtooth of the patient, the wing-like portion 20 will afford a shield forthe patients cheek while the wing-like portion 22 will similarly protectthe patients tongue in the event that the dentist should inadvertentlyslide his drill over the side surface of the tooth on either the inneror the outer side of the latter. Furthermore, the aforementioned troughportions 26 function as saliva-collecting pockets and also asreceptacles for retaining abrasive fragments which may be emptied fromtime to time by removing the shield from the patients mouth, rinsing it,and then replacing it in the mouth. The two offset ear portions 32function to increase the shielding areas of the wing-like portions 20and 22 without increasing their over-all areas to any appreciableextent.

It will be understood that the dental shield 10, although illustratedherein as being applied to one of the molars of the lower jaw structure,may readily be applied to any of the bicuspids of such jaw structure.Additionally, by inverting the shield, it may be applied to any of themolars or bicuspids of the upper jaw structure in a manner similar tothat described heretofore. In such an instance, the wing-like portions20 and 22 will afford a shield for the roof of the mouth and for eitherthe right or left cheek, depending upon which side of the upper jawstructure receives the shield.

In invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, onlyinsofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in the accompanyingclaims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A unitary one-piece dental shield designed for removable attachmentto a selected molar or bicuspid within the oral cavity of a human being,said shield being formed of resilient material and comprising a pair offorwardly disposed, spaced apart, shallow, dished, wing-like portions ofrelatively small sheet-like thickness and an interconnecting rearwardlydisposed, upwardly arched and rearwardly and upwardly inclined bightportion, said wing-like portions being substantially identical in sizeand shape but being substantial mirror images of each other, theopposite ends of said bight portion being connected to the rear edges ofsaid wing-like portions, each wing-like portion having a generallyhorizontal bottom wall from which there extends outwardly and upwardlyan inclined side wall portion having an outer upper edge which is curvedthrough and of involute contour with progressively increasing radii in arearward direction the horizontal bottom walls of said wing-like portionlying substantially in the same horizontal plane and presenting opposededges adapted to straddle the tooth to which the shield is attached and,by a clamping action incident to flexion of the bight portion, fixedlyattach the dental shield to such tooth, the over-all height of saidbight portion being not appreciably greater than the over-all height ofsaid wing-like portions.

2. A unitary one-piece dental shield as set forth in claim 1 and whereinthe bottom wall of each wing-like portion is separated from the adjacentside wall portion by an imperforate residue-collecting trough regionwhich extends below the level of such bottom wall.

3. A unitary one-piece dental shield as set forth in claim 2 and whereineach wing-like portion is formed with a peripheral inwardly extendingear portion in the rear region thereof.

4. A unitary one-piece dental shield as set forth in claim 3 and whereinthe ear portions oppose each other and have said opposed edges formed ontheir inner regions, and said edges are bevelled in order to enhancetheir frictional contact with the tooth.

5. A unitary one-piece dental shield as set forth in claim 3 and whereinsaid peripheral ears on the horizontal bottom walls are each providedwith a small hole therethrough which is designed for reception of a tangof a forceps-type spreading tool.

6. A unitary dental shield designed for temporary attachment to aselected molar or bicuspid in the oral cavity of a human being andcomprising a pair of forwardly disposed, complemental, comparativelythin, wing-like portions of relatively small sheet-like thickness,disposed in opposed spaced apart relation, adapted to be positioned instraddled relation with the selected tooth, and embodying in certainopposed edge regions thereof inwardly extending ear portions forgripping the sides of the selected tooth, and a rearwardly disposedU-shaped bight portion having the ends thereof connected to the medialrear edge regions of the wing-like portions, and extending upwards andrearwards from the last mentioned regions, said bight portion being soformed and of such resiliency that it permits said wing portions to bespread slightly apart in connection with application of the shield tothe selected tooth as well as removal of the shield from said tooth, andin addition, being adapted after the winglike portions are spread apartand then released to move said wing-like portions towards one another inresponse to a flexing action and so as to cause said ear portions firmlyto grip the sides of the selected tooth, said wing-like portionsprojecting laterally in opposite directions outwardly and away from theends of the bight portion and being of such size and shape that when theshield is applied to a tooth on the lower jaw, one of said wing-likeportions engages and distends the adjacent cheek outwardly forcheek-protecting purposes and the other wing-like portion overlies andserves to protect the adjacent portion of the tongue, and also when theshield is applied to a tooth on the upper jaw, one of the wing-likeportions will engage and distend the adjacent check for protectionpurposes and athe other wing-like portion will underlie and serve toprotect the adjacent portion of the roof of the mouth.

7. A dental shield as set forth in claim 6 and wherein the wing-likeportions are substantially the same in size and shape and are of shallowdished configuration.

8. A dental shield as set forth in claim 6 and wherein the variousportions thereof are formed integrally and of the same material.

l l= l

1. A unitary one-piece dental shield designed for removable atTachmentto a selected molar or bicuspid within the oral cavity of a human being,said shield being formed of resilient material and comprising a pair offorwardly disposed, spaced apart, shallow, dished, wing-like portions ofrelatively small sheetlike thickness and an interconnecting rearwardlydisposed, upwardly arched and rearwardly and upwardly inclined bightportion, said wing-like portions being substantially identical in sizeand shape but being substantial mirror images of each other, theopposite ends of said bight portion being connected to the rear edges ofsaid wing-like portions, each wing-like portion having a generallyhorizontal bottom wall from which there extends outwardly and upwardlyan inclined side wall portion having an outer upper edge which is curvedthrough and of involute contour with progressively increasing radii in arearward direction the horizontal bottom walls of said wing-like portionlying substantially in the same horizontal plane and presenting opposededges adapted to straddle the tooth to which the shield is attached and,by a clamping action incident to flexion of the bight portion, fixedlyattach the dental shield to such tooth, the over-all height of saidbight portion being not appreciably greater than the over-all height ofsaid wing-like portions.
 2. A unitary one-piece dental shield as setforth in claim 1 and wherein the bottom wall of each wing-like portionis separated from the adjacent side wall portion by an imperforateresidue-collecting trough region which extends below the level of suchbottom wall.
 3. A unitary one-piece dental shield as set forth in claim2 and wherein each wing-like portion is formed with a peripheralinwardly extending ear portion in the rear region thereof.
 4. A unitaryone-piece dental shield as set forth in claim 3 and wherein the earportions oppose each other and have said opposed edges formed on theirinner regions, and said edges are bevelled in order to enhance theirfrictional contact with the tooth.
 5. A unitary one-piece dental shieldas set forth in claim 3 and wherein said peripheral ears on thehorizontal bottom walls are each provided with a small hole therethroughwhich is designed for reception of a tang of a forceps-type spreadingtool.
 6. A unitary dental shield designed for temporary attachment to aselected molar or bicuspid in the oral cavity of a human being andcomprising a pair of forwardly disposed, complemental, comparativelythin, wing-like portions of relatively small sheet-like thickness,disposed in opposed spaced apart relation, adapted to be positioned instraddled relation with the selected tooth, and embodying in certainopposed edge regions thereof inwardly extending ear portions forgripping the sides of the selected tooth, and a rearwardly disposedU-shaped bight portion having the ends thereof connected to the medialrear edge regions of the wing-like portions, and extending upwards andrearwards from the last mentioned regions, said bight portion being soformed and of such resiliency that it permits said wing portions to bespread slightly apart in connection with application of the shield tothe selected tooth as well as removal of the shield from said tooth, andin addition, being adapted after the wing-like portions are spread apartand then released to move said wing-like portions towards one another inresponse to a flexing action and so as to cause said ear portions firmlyto grip the sides of the selected tooth, said wing-like portionsprojecting laterally in opposite directions outwardly and away from theends of the bight portion and being of such size and shape that when theshield is applied to a tooth on the lower jaw, one of said wing-likeportions engages and distends the adjacent cheek outwardly forcheek-protecting purposes and the other wing-like portion overlies andserves to protect the adjacent portion of the tongue, and also when theshield is applied to a tooth on the upper jaw, one of the wing-likeportions will Engage and distend the adjacent cheek for protectionpurposes and athe other wing-like portion will underlie and serve toprotect the adjacent portion of the roof of the mouth.
 7. A dentalshield as set forth in claim 6 and wherein the wing-like portions aresubstantially the same in size and shape and are of shallow dishedconfiguration.
 8. A dental shield as set forth in claim 6 and whereinthe various portions thereof are formed integrally and of the samematerial.